Fossil Birds in the Marsh Collection of Yale University 37 



Barornis regens Marsh. This specimen I take up in connection 

 with Diatryma giganlea for the reason that Professor Marsh, who 

 probably never saw Cope's types of that bird, described it, in conse- 

 quence, as the representative of a different genus of giant birds. This 

 pedal phalanx, although found in the Eocene of New Jersey, a long 

 distance from where Cope found Diatryma gigantea (New Mexico), 

 or where D. ajax was discovered (Wyoming), (they all having been 

 found essentially in the same geologic formation), is from the skeleton 

 of another species of Diatryma, and up to date this and other materia] 

 represents, apparently, but several typical species of the genus 

 Diatryma of Cope, of which Diatryma gigantea is the type. 



In Plate I of the present article I give three views (Figs. 7-9) of 

 this phalanx; and on Plate V (Fig. 32) I compare its lateral view with 

 the larger phalanx of the two found which belonged to Diatryma ajax 

 Shufeldt. The larger one of these I formerly described as the "basal 

 one of the middle toe," while I am now, in the hght of additional 

 material, inclined to believe it to have been the basal one of the outer 

 toe of Diatryma ajax, and the phalanx described by Professor Marsh 

 as "a first phalange of the third digit of the right foot," to be correct 

 in so far as the identification of the bone is concerned. It would have 

 been nearer the truth, however, had he said the outer toe instead of the 

 "third digit." The hallux or first toe was probably entirely aborted 

 in Diatryma, so that only the anterior toes were present — that is, two, 

 three, and four, with, counting the ungual phalanges, 3, 4, and 5 

 joints respectively. 



Viewing this phalanx {Barornis) on its direct posterior aspect, 

 there will be observed two articular, shallow facets, divided by a verti- 

 cal, low, smooth elevation or ridge. In all the flightless birds I have 

 examined, and in not a few others, especially the gallinaceous species 

 of various genera, the larger of these two shallow concavities is next 

 to the middle toe, when the toes are articulated as in life ; and this is the 

 case with the phalanx Professor Marsh described as that of Barornis 

 regens, he doubtless ha\'ing observed this point, and was led to say 

 that the joint belonged to the right foot, in which determination he 

 was correct. He further stated in his description^ that this "extinct 

 bird [was] about the size of an Ostrich, and apparently allied to that 

 group," he having compared it with the corresponding phalanx of 



^ Marsh, O. C. "A Gigantic Bird from the Eocene of New Jersey." Amer. 

 Jour. Sci., ser. 3, Vol. 48, 1894, 344, Figs. a-d. (4 views of the phalanx, half 

 natural size.) 



